Tips For Happier Dreams and Preventing Nightmares - ARTICLE 10/18/2007

You don’t want to live through a horror story in your dreams, not even if it has a happy ending, unless you’re Stephen King. Since he’s a horror writer, I’ve joked about him relishing nightmares, looking forward to them as he smiles on his pillow, eagerly awaiting new material for his novels.

If you want to learn how to be happier while you’re asleep, I’ll share tips that help me sleep better, wake up to have more joyful days, and prevent nightmares. Friends and strangers have thanked me for the advice.

This led me to write this article. Besides, according to studies, poor sleep can cause stress, fatigue, and heart problems, and at AIR Equation.org we’re about healthy happiness.

1. GO TO SLEEP IN A BETTER MOOD

* Do something that relaxes you and makes you happy before bedtime. Read a nice book. Take a soothing bath. Play a relaxing CD like one with natural sounds. Use aromatherapy such as scented candles, particularly ones with lavender--an essential oil that promotes sleep.

* Avoid debates and things that create a negative mood. If you use the AIR Equation, this shouldn’t be a problem for the most part. Offer people acceptance, inspiration, and respect before you go to bed. Fear, anger, sadness and similar moods are not good to take with you to la-la land.

Despite the negatives that happen during the day, my wife tries to mellow out and be more courteous as bedtime nears. She even waves to me and the children as she heads to bed, forgiving us for whatever we did that upset her earlier. Ah, the old marriage motivational of not going to sleep angry. She’ll often end the evening watching an inspirational show that fills her with positive thoughts.

* Avoid unpleasant subjects. Tune out negative news, talk, and reality shows on TV. If you’re a big sports fan and your favorite team just lost, don’t stay up to watch highlights you know will end badly. Turn off that midnight horror movie (sorry Stephen King).

Don’t worry about things that make you depressed before you sleep. Be as happy as possible. Hey, visit us.

2. WATCH YOUR EATING

* Eat healthier. Chips, ice cream, pizza, or anything loaded with salt, fat, sugar, or caffeine aren’t good late at night or anytime, including when you’re hungry. Your body’s hunger is triggered more by lack of nutrients than lack of food. That’s why you can be hungry again soon after eating a whole bag of chips--they lack sufficient nutrients.

Eat fruits, vegetables, and grains that are nutritious. Lean toward lighter instead of heavier foods.

* Refrain from food within an hour before sleep. This gives your body time to digest the food efficiently and effectively while it’s revved up to do so. During sleep, almost everything in the body slows down so don’t give it a tough digestive job that’ll also take away your dream management.

3. DON’T OVERHEAT YOURSELF

This is one many don’t realize. I’m working to increase awareness of it. Meir Kryger, MD, chairman of The National Sleep Foundation, reported research on this and wrote the book, A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO SLEEP DISORDERS (though he’s a man and much of the information applies to men as well). He states heat hampers your sleep and ability to dream.

* Take the extra blankets and comforters off of your bed. The times I recall having nightmares, especially ones that woke me up in the middle of the night, I was sweating or just felt hot. My nightmares ceased when I started to sleep with only enough covers to keep me warm but not hot.

* Take off the extra clothes, and people. Try sleeping with as little clothing as possible. People and pets generate heat, so monitor sleeping too close to them (without damaging your relationship). Do what fits your comfort level.

* Put on something cool. Ice packs and cold wet rags on the head are examples.

* Lower the room temperature. Since you’ll be under the covers, you can lower the heater setting and save on your fuel bill too. Turn on a fan or open a window if climate permits.

* Change to a cooler room. If you sleep upstairs, which is plagued by the fact that hot air rises, go downstairs where it’s cooler.

Share these happy dream tips with friends and strangers too. Invite them over here for more, courtesy of AIR Equation.org, helping to spread happiness. If Stephen King reads this and starts sleeping under piles of comforters, I want a cut of his next novel.

HOW HAPPY ARE YOU?

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